When your Guru tells you to do something, you do it yesterday

From about 1971 to 1995, I would say that my experience on the path was fulfilled through love and devotion. My love for Guru – doing meditation, praying – and my devotion to Guru – servicing him in whatever way I could – taught me everything I needed to know about Guru.

Almost.

One day Guru asked me to come downstairs and tell him how I was serving him. I told him that I was taking his Jharna-Kala pictures and setting up galleries around the city. One of the ways was to set them up on an easel on the sidewalk. Guru looked at me and remained silent for a little while. Then he said, "Vajra, you should tie the pictures down on the easel so that they don't fall from the easel onto the sidewalk."

On one occasion, I was out on the street and I was setting up the pictures on the easel. I chose to ignore Guru's request to tie the pictures down. All of a sudden, a wind came and blew every picture I had on the easel to the sidewalk, glass flying everywhere. This was my first experience learning that when Guru tells you to do something, you do it yesterday.

You can shorten your spirituality-road
And quicken your speed
If you are under the guidance
Of a true, able and spiritually rich Master.

Sri Chinmoy 1

• 1. Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, part 192, Agni Press, 1993